Chapter 273 - Pressure
In his dreams, Bai Zemin felt something similar to when cartoon characters were bothered by a feather on their noses as he somehow began to feel a certain itch on that area of his face.
Annoyed, he grunted and waved his hand to push the annoying feather away before settling down to continue sleeping when it finally disappeared. However, it wasn't long before he felt the same sneezing sensation again and it was only then that his sleepy eyes slowly opened.
His eyes narrowed against the strong sunlight coming through the window and as if he were a vampire, tried to close them again. Unfortunately, that uncanny disturbance returned.
This time fully awake, Bai Zemin opened his eyes and looked exasperatedly to his side, where Lilith was watching him with a playful smile.
She was now wearing her characteristic deep black dress, simple and elegant with no ornaments. As she sat on the edge of the bed, she held a long strand of her bright jet hair as she playfully moved it back and forth, occasionally brushing against his mouth and chin.
"Lilith!" he couldn't help but groan aloud. Just when he was having such a good dream.... When had it been so long since he'd had such a nice night's sleep? Probably from day number 1 when the world changed, and it might even be before that.
"Hehe~ Little brother Zemin, although you look very cute asleep and make me want to eat you, I think some people might start to get impatient soon if you don't get ready." Lilith pursed her lips into a charming smile and her eyes glittered slightly as she looked at his face.
Seeing her smile, the slight irritation that Bai Zemin felt earlier suddenly seemed to fly out the window. Moreover, after remembering everything that happened just before they went to sleep and the way the relationship between him and her clearly became closer and more intimate, he simply couldn't find the courage to be angry any longer.
"What do you mean?" he asked, sitting up slowly.
"Why don't you look at it for yourself?" Lilith held back the urge to laugh as she studied Bai Zemin's expression waiting for his next reaction. She pointed to the digital clock next to the small lamp on the bedside table.
Bai Zemin looked in the direction she pointed and his face changed completely.
Disbelief, shock, surprise, reprimand, and many other emotions flashed in his pupils as he looked at the four big red numbers pointing to 12:32.
"This... Just what is this all about?" he was dumbfounded.
Bai Zemin couldn't remember when was the last time he slept until such hours but probably since he started elementary school. What was worse was that he slept like a pig without a care in the world when, in fact, he had tons of work to do.
"Apparently, little brother Zemin really liked the feeling of having my body attached to yours all night long~" Lilith smiled playfully, to which he replied with a serious nod.
"In fact, at that moment for some reason I felt free from all the burdens I carry on my shoulders." After saying these words with no sign of shame whatsoever, he stood up and started went to the private bathroom inside the room to wash his face and brush his teeth.
Lilith looked at his back with a weird look and muttered wordlessly, "Little boy... You really don't know the meaning of shame, hmm?"
From the bathroom, Bai Zemin's reply soon reached her ears, "I learned from the best teacher!"
"Hehehehe..." Lilith laughed gracefully before disappearing, letting her soft laughter echo lightly through the walls as a sign that her presence was not an illusion.
* * *
In the living room of the villa, the atmosphere was becoming more and more uncomfortable as time went by.
It had been more than two and a half hours since Lu Yan, Lu Xiaoyao, under the protection of Yan Tu, arrived here seeking an audience with the leader of the group that overthrew Kang Rong and would soon be taking full control over his forces. However, even after so long, the three visitors did not even see the shadow of the mysterious young man they had heard about last night.
"What is wrong with this person? Does he always sleep until such hours? Isn't that a bit irresponsible?" Lu Xiaoyao finally couldn't bear to mutter her complaints. She was incredibly angry inside and if not for the fact that she knew better not to stir up trouble for her father and put him in a more complicated position than he already was, she definitely wouldn't be able to start scolding everyone.
"Xiaoyao, moderate your speech." Lu Yan said as he looked at his daughter. However, he was also unhappy inside so his words did not have as much power as a reprimand was supposed to have.
No matter if it was in the past or if it was in the present, Lu Yan was always treated with due respect no matter who the other side was. Even the mayor had to give him some face in the past since as the head of the police force of an official station, no matter how small, the power in Lu Yan's hands could not be considered insignificant and one never knew when one might need the hand of an ally to get out of trouble.
However, for the first time, Lu Yan was practically ignored.
The silver-haired young woman, who seemed to be the most powerful person present, did not give him much face and seemed to be thinking of something else. In fact, she had already drank a whole pot of tea but still continued without stopping, making everyone wonder where all the liquid she was drinking was going and if she was really so thirsty.
As for the two Nangong siblings... The two of them could only sit awkwardly in their place. Although Nangong Lingxin wanted to suggest sending a person to wake up Bai Zemin, her brother shook his head and gestured with his eyes to remain silent.
Hearing the words filled with complaints uttered by Lu Xiaoyao, Shangguan Bing Xue looked at her for a moment and nodded as she said, "Indeed. I think you are right in this case."
"You think so too?!" Lu Xiaoyao's eyes lit up and she suddenly felt that the charmingly beautiful woman sitting on the couch across the small table was more pleasing to the eye.
"Yeah... Unfortunately, that person might be too tired from overwork." Shangguan Bing Xue nodded and said with usual indifference.
"Overwork?" Lu Xiaoyao repeated Shangguan Bing Xue's last words and quickly asked, "Could it be that in yesterday's battle he overexerted himself so he got exhausted, and then he needs to sleep so much?"
Lu Yan's and Yan Tu's eyes flashed as they listened to Lu Xiaoyao's rasoning after hearing the silver-haired woman's words. The two men exchanged a glance and both looked more relaxed.
If that was really the case, then everything would make more sense. After all, it was hard for the two of them to accept that a person could take down Shan Li as easily and exaggeratedly as the rumors they had heard said.
However, Shangguan Bing Xue's words were like several buckets of ice water falling on their heads on a cold winter day.
"No." She shook her head and continued speaking coldly, "The battle against Kang Rong and his troops was too easy and none of us were exhausted in the slightest."
"Then, you..." Lu Xiaoyao was stupefied.
Since it was so easy then what did she mean by her previous words? Not only Lu Xiaoyao; her father and Yan Tu were also confused about this matter.
Nangong Lingxin blushed and Nangong Yi could barely contain himself from bursting out laughing while his shoulders were constantly shaking, proof of how much effort he was making to restrain himself.
Shangguan Bing Xue did not respond this time and closed her eyes. However, a moment later she opened them again and her gaze shifted to the door as she said indifferently, "Looks like you won't have to wait any more."
The eyes of Lu Yan and the others automatically turned toward the entrance of the room and a few seconds later they finally saw a young man enter with leisurely steps and a carefree expression on his face.
Hair as black as ink, dark eyes as deep as the ocean that glittered with the cunning of someone his age shouldn't have, a considerably handsome face even though it couldn't be considered striking. However, the most eye-catching thing was undoubtedly his body. Although he wore baggy clothes, it was obvious to anyone who looked at him that his physique appeared to have been carefully polished by the hands of an incomparable expert.
Unlike Yan Tu's exaggeratedly oversized muscles that looked extremely threatening at first glance, all the muscles of Bai Zemin's body were well compressed together, giving him a seemingly more inoffensive and elegant appearance. However, only those who knew him well knew that his Strength was surprisingly high so those who underestimated him would undoubtedly be in for an unpleasant surprise.
In fact, Yan Tu's muscles immediately tensed as Bai Zemin walked in and unconsciously stood up, standing in front of Lu Yan and Lu Xiaoyao as if he was protecting them from a wild beast.
"Em?" Bai Zemin also noticed the three strangers and was taken aback.
Who were these people? Just as that doubt appeared in his mind, a thought flashed in the next instant. After looking Yan Tu from head to toe a couple of times, a smile of understanding appeared on his face.
Since the burly man in front of him was someone so powerful, then the identity of the two people he was protecting was immediately obvious.
Although Bai Zemin was confused when he saw Nangong Yi secretly giving him a thumbs up and also felt that Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes were slightly colder than usual, he did not give it any importance at the moment. Instead, he walked over to one of the small couches next to the two larger ones and calmly sat down.
Soon, Yi Fang appeared dressed in a clean and elegant maid's outfit before pouring him a cup of hot tea before quietly saying that snacks would soon arrive for him to have his late lunch.
Bai Zemin smiled slightly and nodded before finally looking at the three strangers. After studying them for a moment, he looked at the man sitting next to the young girl and said calmly, "I guess you are Lu Yan... Am I wrong?"
Lu Yan studied the young man in front of him from the moment he entered the room. However, even with his experience dealing with people he failed to understand any of his personality traits as that slight smile on his face was clearly a mask to cover up his emotions and thoughts.
Since that was the case, Lu Yan decided to play it safe. He smiled friendly and introduced himself: "How are you? Actually, I'm Lu Yan. You could say I'm Kang Rong's twin who lives in the opposite direction."
In the end, he even joked lightly and chuckled. After what happened with Shangguan Bing Xue he no longer dared to talk about ruling or much less; instead, he opted for a lighter method.
"Oh?" Bai Zemin raised an eyebrow and his smile turned slightly cold as he said not so jokingly, "However, Kang Rong was taken down by my group a few hours ago. Are you sure you want to compare yourself with him?"
The atmosphere suddenly became slightly tense and the temperature decreased by several degrees as Bai Zemin released a slight amount of murderous intent.
Yan Tu was fine as he had killed many enemies so far to get to where he was.
Lu Yan's face turned slightly pale but he gritted his teeth and also endured the pressure on him.
However, Lu Xiaoyao was just an ordinary 18-year-old girl with no power at all. When her gaze met the cold eyes of the young man not much older than her, she felt as if she entered an illusion filled with bloodthirsty demons who sought to claim her life and constantly pursued her.
Just as her body began to tremble uncontrollably and her face turned deathly pale, the pressure she felt disappeared as if by magic and that illusion in which she technically self-imprisoned herself also vanished without a trace.
Her agitated breathing made her chest rise and fall constantly as she looked at Bai Zemin with horror. Her lips had lost their seductive healthy red and were now pale. She could not believe that a person practically her own age could unleash such a great bloodthirst.
How many living beings had he killed? Lu Xiaoyao could not help but ask herself that question as she finally began to realize more clearly that the only reason she had managed to survive until now, was thanks to her father.
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